Gremlins in Popular Culture
Since Gremlins is very popular and one of the most critically-acclaimed monster movies in the late 20th century, there has been numerous parodies of the films. Some films that parody Gremlins such as Films and TV Shows * Roger Corman produced a 1987 critically bashed movie called Munchies, which is a spoof of Gremlins. *'Beasties' is a parody of Gremlins. *'Kamillions' is a parody of Gremlins. *Cast a Deadly Spell (1991) (TV) in witch nasty little monsters share the same traits with gremlins. *Evil Ed (1995) Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman (2000) (V) - The little snowballs and the way they act are exactly like the Gremlins (mischevious and dangerous). Add to this a snowball with a spiked mohawk of icicles for hair, just like the lead villian in Gremlins. "Family Guy: The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou (#5.11)" (2007) - Peter feeds his Mogwai after midnight with a chicken leg (the same food that Billy fed the evil Mogwai in the first film). "Robot Chicken: Tapping a Hero (#3.4)" (2007) - George Bush gets a pet Mogwai with expected catastrophic results * Hobgoblins and Hobgoblins 2 are parodies on Gremlins, both films directed by unsuccessful movie director Rick Sloane. *The film Ghoulies is claimed to be a parody on Gremlins, despite shooting production before Gremlins, like Critters. *The movie Critters is claimed to be a parody on Gremlins, despite shooting production before Gremlins. *In Dead End, '''a zombie is playing with a Gizmo doll. *The anime show '''Pet Shop of Horrors has drawn many parodies of Gremlins. *In the Simpsons: **In Treehouse of Horror III, there is a horror story where Homer (Mr. Peltzer) buys a clown puppet from a Chinese store keeper that parodies Mr. Wing. **In Bart Has Two Mommies, Homer says he's gonna get the Gremlins wet. *In SpongeBob Squarepants, the episode A Pal For Gary has SpongeBob (Billy Peltzer) buying a strange piranha monster that acts like a Gremlin and Mogwai from a silent Chinese pet store owner that parodies Mr. Wing. *An episode of The Fairly Oddparents includes a yellow stuffed bunny plush figure that changes into a hideous red monster like the Mogwai to Gremlin transformation. *In Jimmy Neutron, there was a TV movie called Attack of the Twonkies that pays extremely heavy tribute to the Gremlins films. Jimmy Neutron finds round aliens from a comet (Gizmo/ other Mogwai) , and change into round toad-like animals that parody the Gremlins when hearing music (a homage to eating after midnight). *In the Kids Next Door movie, Operation: ZERO, hamsters turn into green zombies and rampage like Gremlins. *In the Skylanders series '''a skylanders called Trigger Happy is supposed to be a Gremlin, even though he looks more like a Mogwai. *The character Fidget the bat from the Disney movie The Great Mouse Detective strongly resembles a Gremlin. *In '''Lilo and Stitch, Stitch is a parody of a Gremlin, acting mischievous and speaks similar to a Gremlin. *The film Hotel Transylvania features creatures that are both called "gremlins" and are almost identical to Mogwai. *An episode of the sitcom My Wife and Kids mentions the Gremlins franchise several times, mostly the original one. *In Gravity Falls, the episode Boss Mabel features a creature similar to the Bat Gremlin. *In the Spanish-language show 1,2,3... Respond Another Time, in one episode the Host compares the Chollo to Antichollo transformation of the Gremlin transformation. *In the anime Dr. Slump Arale-chan, the title card of "Everyone and Everyone's Friends" is a parody of the Gremlins theatrical release poster. "Un, dos, tres... responda otra vez: Montecarlo años 20 (#4.6)" (1984) - The host compares the Chollo into Antichollo transformation to the gremlins' one Dead End (1985) - zombie playing with Gizmo doll The Goonies (1985) - When Chunk calls the police to explain about the Fratellis, the cop disbelieves him, recalling all of Chunk's wild stories. One involved "little creatures that mutate when you pour water on them." Explorers (1985) - A newspaper headline is "Kingston Falls 'Riot' Still Unexplained". Kingston Falls was the town in Gremlins Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) - In the beginning when Pee-wee is playing with his toy truck, at the foot of the bed is a Stripe toy from Gremlins. One Magic Christmas (1985) Esto es un atraco (1987) - A poster of this film can be seen in a videostore Munchies (1987) The Puppetoon Movie (1987) Adventures in Babysitting (1987) Hobgoblins (1988) Mac and Me (1988) Kamillions (1989) The 'burbs (1989) - There's a box of Gremlins Cereal by the Peterson's sink, a reference to the movie also directed by Joe Dante. Gate 2: The Trespassers (1990) - John calls one of the demon minions a Gremlin Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) "The Flash: Ghost in the Machine (#1.8)" (1990) - Not knowing what the Kremlin is a goon says: "Kremlins? You mean those cute little furry dudes from the movie?" Dead Alive (1992) - zombies are put in a blender like the Gremlins Critters 4 (1992) "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror III (#4.5)" (1992) - Homer buys his son a present from an Asian man in a similar fashion to Mr. Peltzer in the film. Time Machine: The Journey Back (1993) (V) "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Baby Comes Out (#3.20)" (1993) - Will: "and whatever you do, never ever feed her after midnight" Prehysteria! (1993) Freaked (1993) "Saturday Night Live: Jeff Goldblum/Aerosmith (#19.3)" (1993) - Video box on shelf in Karl's Video Store Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers (1993) I'll Do Anything (1994) Funny Man (1994) - Gremlin seen True Lies (1994) "Law & Order: Privileged (#5.18)" (1995) - Referenced by McCoy. "Saturday Night Live: Bob Saget/TLC (#20.19)" (1995) - Video box on shelf in Karl's Video Store Two If by Sea (1996) Mars Attacks! (1996) Small Soldiers (1998) Welcome to Hollywood (1998) - There is a poster of it in the first office (Dreamworks office) shown (the addition to be the focus of this movie) The Fly Papers: The Buzz on Hollywood's Scariest Insect (2000) (TV) - mentioned once "Clerks: A Dissertation on the American Justice System by People Who Have Never Been Inside a Courtroom, Let Alone Know Anything About the Law, But Have Seen Way Too Many Legal Thrillers (#1.4)" (2000) - Randal mentions it in the court Meet the Parents (2000) Quiet (2002) - A man puts a dog in a microwave oven to kill it and says to the camera, "I saw them do this in 'Gremlins.'" Dog Soldiers (2002) - The flash of the camera repels the werewolves not unlike the gremlins in movie of the same name Eight Legged Freaks (2002) Lilo & Stitch (2002) - Stitch behaves similar to a gremlin. Unleashing the Beast: Making 'The Howling' (2003) (V) Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) - Musical score from Gremlins heard in film. In both movies, Jerry Goldsmith provided the score, and Joe Dante directed. Game Box 1.0 (2004) - bugs in computer games are referred to as "Gremlins" Citizen Shane (2004) - A Gizmo doll is visible on a shelf. "High Chaparall: Corey Feldman (#2.8)" (2004) - Mentioned by name The Last Shot (2004) - Poster on wall. The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004) - mentioned once "Veronica Mars: Weapons of Class Destruction (#1.18)" (2005) - "Gremlin gumming up the works?" Margaret Cho: Assassin (2005) - mentioned in the movie Saturday Night Live: The Best of David Spade (2005) (TV) - Video box on shelf in Karl's Video Store Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight - The Road to Gotham City (2005) (V) - mentioned once "How I Met Your Mother: The Wedding (#1.12)" (2006) - Marshall talks about feeding Gremlins after midnight "The Simpsons: Bart Has Two Mommies (#17.14)" (2006) - Homer asks about Gremlins and then says, "I'm going to get them so wet" "Saturday Night Live: Julia Louis-Dreyfus/Paul Simon (#31.18)" (2006) - Referenced in Unsolved Mysteries Codename: Kids Next Door - Operation Z.E.R.O. (2006) (TV) - Evil 'agified' hamsters run amok Gremlins-style Snakes on a Plane (2006) - In both films, a panicked character throws an attacking creature into a microwave, causing it to explode. "Psych: Who Ya Gonna Call? (#1.7)" (2006) - Shawn mentions "Gremlins" when trying to remember where he stole the 'haunted indian burial ground' gimmick from. Chris & Reed in: Nightmares! (2006) - title mentioned in dialogue The Good Night (2007) - Mel says, "That's like inviting gremlins to a pool party." Silence (2007) - Jordi remembers when both he and his mother has to leave the theater because of bad Mogwai / Gremlins Kickin It Old Skool (2007) - Mogwai mentioned "South Park: Imaginationland (#11.10)" (2007) - A Gremlin is seen in Imaginationland "South Park: Imaginationland: Episode II (#11.11)" (2007) - Gizmo can be seen in Imaginationland. Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 3 (2007) (V) - In "Happy Hallow-day", The Cheat's Halloween costume is of Gizmo "Lost: The Economist (#4.3)" (2008) - Sawyer calls Ben "Gizmo" South Park: Imaginationland (2008) (V) - Gizmo is in Imaginationland. "The Nostalgia Critic: Transformers: The Movie Review (#1.1)" (2008) - The Critic compares a character to the gremlins Filler! (2008) - The Swedish Backpacker is wearing a Gizmo backpack. Cyprien (2009) - Gizmo doll visible at Godzilla Internet Café "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Million Dollar Movie Week 3 (#7.108)" (2009) - Contestant mentions having named his dog after a gremlin "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Monsters vs Aliens/The Haunting in Connecticut/12 Rounds (#1.5)" (2009) - Brett said on the top 5 Monsters/Ailens Gremlins is excluded because its a group of films "Saturday Night Live: Seth Rogen/Phoenix (#34.19)" (2009) - Bill Hader talks to a friend like Gizmo on his cellphone "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: 17 Again/State of Play/Crank High Voltage (#1.8)" (2009) - Mentioned The Hangover (2009) - Phil says Allan is like a Gremlin for all the rules Tracy gave about him "How I Met Your Mother: Definitions (#5.1)" (2009) - Barney explains that the rules of dating are the same as the rules for Gremlins. "The Big Bang Theory: The Pirate Solution (#3.4)" (2009) - They mention watching the movie to celebrate Columbus day since it is a Chris Columbus film. "White Collar: All In (#1.6)" (2009) - Neal recites the rules for the caring of Mogwais to an elderly oriental man. "Muchachada nui: Episode #4.2" (2010) - Referenced by character in segment "Celebrities" The Big Sleaze (2010) - Mogwai seen in Casting Session "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Dancing with the Stars 4 (#8.129)" (2010) - Included in a $2,000 question "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Moonlighting (#7.20)" (2010) - When DiNozzo sees scars on Palmer's back, he yells "Someone fed him after midnight." "The Nostalgia Critic: Drop Dead Fred (#3.21)" (2010) - The Critic points out that Phoebe Cates also starred in this film The My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic episode "Swarm of the Century" features the Parasprites,insect-like creatures that were inspired by the Tribbles from the Star Trek franchise and the Gremlins from the movies.At one point,Spike says he fed his parasprite after midnight,which is a reference to the most important rule of the Mogwai.The way they reproduce and cause destruction is very similar to how the Gremlins act in the movies.Writer M.A Larson had Gremlins in mind while doing the episode.Episode "A Canterlot Wedding" features another race of insectoid creatures called changelings,which were voiced by Frank Welker,and some of the noises they make are similar to those uttered by Stripe and Mohawk.In season 3 episode "Magic Duel",Trixie buys the Alicorn Amulet from a shop that looks a lot like Mr. Wing's shop,and the pony attending it wears an asian attire.To make the parody much more evident,the pony's name has been revealed to be Uncle Wing.In season 4 episode "Bats!",Sweet Apple Acres is under attack by several Vampire Fruit Bats,which strongly resemble the mutated Bat Gremlin.Furthermore,some of them have white tufts of hair on their heads,making them look pretty much like Stripe.It should be notable that MLP FIM and the two Gremlins movies are both broadcast by The Hub. In the Phineas and Ferb special Terrifying Tri-State Trilogy of Terror,a story claims that getting a platypus wet with grape juice will result on evil clones spawning from it.This happens to Perry,and the resulting clones are hideous platypus monsters that behave much like the Gremlins.They are ultimately killed off by soap. Video Games *Minions in video game '''Overlord '''and '''Overlord II '''are a race of small Gremlin(Imp or Goblin) creatures. *In the Fallout:New Vegas add on Old World Blues,when players are exploring the Big MT,they will be confronted by a miniature,yet highly powerful deathclaw,named Stripe,who is a complete reference to the lead antagonist in the first movie.He is a reptilian creature and bears certain resemblance to the Gremlins,plus,there is a chicken leg near his dog house,and in the original film,Stripe and his fellow mogwais changed from mogwai to gremlin by eating chicken after midnight.There is also a fountain in the center of the village to which Stripe refuses to go,echoing the original Stripe's demise at the climax of the film. * Featured Footage Shown "At the Movies: Conan the Destroyer/Top Secret!/Under the Volanco" (1984) - Clips are shown for the "x-ray" segment. "At the Movies: Gremlins/Star Trek III: The Search for Spock/Streets of Fire/Once Upon a Time in America" (1984) - Clips are shown. Movie is reviewed. 2003 MTV Movie Awards (2003) (TV) "I Love the '80s Strikes Back: 1984 (#1.5)" (2003) - Footage from this film was edited into this mini-series. The 100 Greatest Family Films (2005) (TV) - In the top 100 "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Fast & Furious/Adventureland/Sugar (#1.6)" (2009) - Footage contributed into the sketch 'Cars never start when you need them to' "20 to 1: Adults Only 20 to 1: Movie Monsters (#9.3)" (2010) - Clips shown in a segment on its title characters. Furby The controversial toy Furby has a striking resemblance to Mogwai and Gizmo. This caused some anger with fans of the Gremlins movies, and Warner Brothers Studios even planned to make a lawsuit in 1998 at Furby for plagarizing Gizmo's appearance. Later,a Gizmo Furby was made. Videos Category:Media